Harding Academy

Melissa Canterbury, School Counselor

Take Learning Outside

Filled with plants, animals, and other wonders of
nature, the great outdoors is an ideal learning lab for
your youngster. Use the activities in this guide to inspire
him to go outside and play while he builds skills that will
help him in school.

Read “on location”

Encourage your child to make connections between
books and real life with this idea.
First, have him list outdoor places where the two of
you can sit and read. Examples: A big rock alongside a
trail at the park, a bench by the basketball court down the
street, a picnic blanket under a shady tree in your yard.
Together, find books at home or in the library that fit each
location. While sitting on a rock with you, maybe your youngster find the tree’s approximate height, help your youngster mea-
will read a story about a mountain-climbing expedition. Boost sure the length of its shadow, then multiply by 1.25. So if the
comprehension skills by asking him to think about what he’d shadow is 672 inches long, the tree is about 840 inches tall
need to pack for an adventure like the one in his book—perhaps (672 x 1.25 = 840 inches, or 70 feet).
trail mix, a water bottle, and a rain jacket. As your child reads in Shadows change throughout the day, so what happens if she
each place, let him check it off his list. measures the lengths of your shadows at a different time? If
yours is twice as long as your height (65 x 2 = 130 inches), the
tree’s shadow will be, too (840 x 2 = 1,680 inches).

Measure a tree
How tall is that tree? On a sunny day, head outdoors with a
measuring tape, and your youngster can use math (and shad-
ows) to find out.
Stand in a sunny spot while your child measures your shad-
ow’s length (say, 52 inches). Tell her how tall you are, and have
her divide your height (65 inches) by your shadow’s length
(65 ÷ 52 = 1.25).
Your height is approximately 1.25 times the length of your
shadow, and at the same moment in time, the tree’s height is
also approximately 1.25 times the length of its shadow! To
Write haiku
Butterflies zip by,
playing a wild game of tag.
I wonder who’s “It.”
For a fun way to practice writing, suggest that your child
try his hand at haiku, or traditional Japanese poetry about
nature. Lines one and three have five syllables each, and line
two has seven.
Let him carry pencil and paper outside when you take a walk
or go fishing, and look for inspiration. Maybe he’ll spot butter-
flies chasing each other, clouds in the shape of a castle, or a field
of bright yellow flowers. Have your youngster jot down details,
then weave them into haiku poems.

continued

Home & School CONNECTION ®

© 2019 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Take Learning Outside Page 2

Observe animals
Let your youngster pretend he’s a scientist who studies ani-
mals. He’ll build observation skills and work on nonfiction
writing by creating this field guide.
Sit outdoors together quietly, and have him choose an ani-
mal to observe. In a notebook, your child can write about its
appearance and behavior. Example: “A squirrel has a bushy
tail and munches on nuts.” Have him draw pictures and dia-
grams, and add captions to illustrate each entry.
Tip: Suggest that your youngster add to his field journal
when he visits other places where animals live, such as the
zoo or his cousin’s farm.

Design a play space

Natural materials like sticks and rocks make great “toys”
for imaginary play. Suggest that your child gather outdoor
objects and craft supplies to design a miniature play space.
She’ll use engineering and creative thinking as she decides
Make a crossword puzzle how to use the items.
Sidewalk chalk and pavement are all you need for this For a pretend campground,
activity that boosts your child’s vocabulary and spelling skills. she might duct-tape sticks
Each person chooses a different color of chalk. together to build a tent,
The first player writes down something she arrange pebbles in a circle
spots (say, honeysuckle). The next person finds for a campfire, and use
something that shares a letter with the previ- twigs for people. Now
ous word and writes its name crossword-style. encourage her to act
She might write sparrow starting with the s in out different scenarios.
honeysuckle. The next player could use the Maybe the people will
w in sparrow to add web. sing songs around the
Keep adding words until no one can think fire or go for a hike.
of another one or you run out of space. Then, Next, she could make
spot something else, and start a new crossword! a beach, a construction
site, or even an ancient
civilization.

Outdoor games
The whole family can play the ball, you’re out. When one player remains, that person
outside together with these chooses the next category.
friendly competitions that
Triangle brainteaser. Each player should gather nine twigs
stretch thinking skills.
that are roughly the same length. Then, compete to see who
Category catch. Choose a cat- can arrange their twigs to form the most triangles. Tip: Look
egory of objects you might for ways to make triangles inside other triangles. Now try
find outdoors (say, flowers). again with 12 or 15 sticks each.
On each turn, a player tosses
ABC scavenger hunt. Have each person write the alphabet
a ball straight up in the air.
vertically on a separate sheet of paper. Then, set a timer for
Quick! Name something in
five minutes while everyone searches the yard for items that
the category (rose, daisy, tulip)
start with each letter. Note: Players can write an item only
before you catch the ball! If you
once, so they’ll need to decide, is that a bucket or a pail? The
can’t think of one that hasn’t
winner is the player who has listed the most objects when
been named or if you don’t catch
the timer goes off.

Home & School CONNECTION ®

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